Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Tuesday signed the only piece of legislation passed during a fleeting special session last month, forgoing any line-item vetoes some lawmakers worried would occur as payback after lawmakers gave her public safety agenda a hard pass. But the two-term Democratic governor, who lambasted members of her own party for failing to even give her proposals a hearing before adjourning within five hours of gaveling in, made no secret of her displeasure. “The Legislature’s failure to prioritize public safety...
A Mescalero couple is the subject of a federal investigation into a string of fires near Ruidoso, including June's devastating Salt Fire, which burned nearly 8,000 acres, according to a search warrant affidavit. The New Mexican is not naming the couple because neither individual has been charged. A spokeswoman for the FBI did not return a message seeking more information on the investigation. The Ruidoso area has been badly damaged by both the Salt Fire and the 17,000-acre...
SANTA FE -- District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer brought the involuntary manslaughter trial of Alec Baldwin to an abrupt and stunning conclusion Friday when she dismissed the case based on the state's withholding of evidence. The dismissal was with prejudice, which means the charge cannot be refiled, bringing to an end a strange and tragic case that gained worldwide attention and may be discussed for decades. The judge's ruling was based on the state's mishandling of evidence — specifically, a box of ammunition turned into t...
By Daniel J. Chacón The Santa Fe New Mexican SANTA FE -- By her own admission, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has the enthusiasm of an 11-year-old boy when it comes to animals. Lizards, bugs, beetles and nonvenomous snakes — if she can catch them, she will. “What was the one I scared you with?” Lujan Grisham asked a member of her security detail, who sheepishly admitted the governor startled him with a garter snake. Lujan Grisham, who grew up with an array of critters — from cats and dogs to newts and gerbils and an occasion...
Ruidoso’s agony, like the rain, knows no end. In the days after wildfires engulfed more than 1,400 buildings and killed two in and around the Southern New Mexico mountain town, severe flash flooding has threatened more lives and destroyed yet more housing. As the region’s monsoon season continues, the threat to Ruidoso from flooding is far from over, weather forecasters say. Flooding over the weekend turned U.S. 70 near Ruidoso into “a huge, raging river,” mayor Lynn Crawford said in an interview Monday. On Sunday and ove...
One of the most promising young big men in the University of New Mexico’s men’s basketball history is trading in his cherry gear for scarlet. JT Toppin, a highly touted 6-foot-8 power forward who burst onto the scene as a true freshman for the Lobos during the 2023-24 season announced via social media Tuesday that he is signing with Texas Tech. He will have at least three years of eligibility remaining with the Red Raiders, a team that reached the 2019 national championship game. Toppin, who is originally from Dallas, was...
State Rep. Randall Pettigrew jumped on the phone the same day Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced she was calling lawmakers back to Santa Fe for a special session in July. Pettigrew, a Republican who lives in Lovington in far Southeastern New Mexico — some 300 miles from the capital city — sought to find accommodations right away. “The Drury was booked, and La Fonda didn’t have anything for all the nights I wanted because I wanted to come in the day before,” he said, adding the unknown length of the session made booking a...
House Republicans have picked a conservative lawmaker known for his direct and sometimes combative style at the Roundhouse as their new minority leader. Rep. Rod Montoya, R-Farmington, said Friday his leadership style is one of collaboration. But Montoya, who is among the more seasoned Republican lawmakers remaining in the House as others retire or choose not to run for reelection, said he also stands up for what he believes. “I’m direct,” Montoya, 57, acknowledged. “I would say whether or not I’m combative depends on who I...
Michael Zeiler knows it might sound wrong from every angle, but he wants you to have the best possible total solar eclipse experience when it crosses North America on Monday. So if you're traveling to San Antonio, he suggests staying away from the viewing party at the city's most famous landmark. "The slogan is 'Forget the Alamo,'" Zeiler says. "You would think that would be a cool place to see it. It's historic. It's scenic. But it's outside the path [of totality]." But it's close, he says, adding, "They only have to travel...
Samantha Rubino clammed up and didn't say a word. After the unexpected death of her mother in April 2020, the 7-year-old put her head down on her knees when asked whether she wanted to go live with Juan Lerma, a man believed to be her father whom she hadn't seen in years. A few months later, Samantha never would speak again — her lifeless body discovered in a garbage bag in a trash can. The case, which resulted in the state of New Mexico agreeing to pay a $5.5 million settlement last month, should send a resounding message t...
Republicans in both chambers of the Legislature are taking a deep breath and weighing their options after each of their caucus leaders announced they would not be seeking reelection — news that dropped just as campaign season kicks into high gear and the GOP tries to prevent any more hemorrhaging of votes at the Capitol. While Senate Minority Leader Greg Baca of Belen plans to serve the remainder of his term through December, House Minority Leader Ryan Lane of Aztec called it quits Thursday, leaving House Republicans s...
Responding to calls from stranded drivers with broken-down cars is a regular feature of the job for New Mexico State Police. But Officer Justin Hare, who was shot and killed while on duty Friday morning, was known for taking that task to the next level. “If he saw a car or a pickup on the side of the highway, he was always stopping to try to help them,” said Jason Goen, a Tucumcari mechanic and tow truck driver who worked alongside Hare for years. “When you call out road service it’s kind of expensive, and he would help pe...
State Public Education Secretary Arsenio Romero on New Mexico's education budget for the 2025 fiscal year: "Overall, I'd have to say I feel pretty successful with what we came away with." The new budget, signed into law last Wednesday by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, represents an 8% increase in spending — $394 million more — than in the 2024 fiscal year. The expansion is expected to funnel millions of dollars toward literacy initiatives, teacher training and retention programs, school meals, community school initiatives and...
ALBUQUERQUE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed four public safety bills, including one that would prohibit anyone from openly carrying a firearm within 100 feet of a polling site, during a news conference held at an Albuquerque high school Monday. “These four bills are an incredible effort to do more,” Lujan Grisham said before signing the bills in a student-filled auditorium at West Mesa High School. “We have to be diligent and continue this work until Albuquerque and New Mexico are the safest places in America to raise y...
The old chapel that houses Sierra Vista Hospital’s rehabilitation center is quaint, with light streaming through stained glass windows dating back to the Truth or Consequences facility’s parochial roots. Less charming are the mini split air conditioning units that line the walls of the room, and the window units that cool the emergency medical services department in an old convent — both evidence the HVAC system in the building is shot, along with much of its other infrastructure. “I’m basically one sewer line break awa...
SANTA FE -- Attorneys outlined vastly different scenarios for a jury in their opening statements in Hannah Gutierrez-Reed's involuntary manslaughter case Thursday. Prosecutors alleged the young film armorer introduced live rounds on the set of the movie Rust, while a defense attorney contended his client is being made a scapegoat by producers who forced her into a chaotic work environment in order to cut costs and maximize profits. Special prosecutor Jason Lewis told jurors...
Two news stories last week proved New Mexico has a working class and a ruling class. One was about Santa Fe’s minimum wage, which will increase to $14.60 an hour March 1. That’s a bump of 57 cents an hour. The second story mentioned New Mexico lawmakers approving a bill titled “Legislative Retirement Changes.” A more accurate heading would be: “50% pension increase for sitting legislators.” Our citizen legislators do not receive a salary, so you might wonder how they qualify for pensions. They make the laws, and they have c...
For the first time, New Mexico taxpayers this year can claim a child tax credit of up to $600 per child, the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department announced recently. Personal income tax return filing opened Jan. 29. The child tax credit is offered on a sliding scale based on income. Taxpayers earning up to $25,000 can claim $600 per child; up to $50,000, $400; up to $75,000, $200; and up to $100,000, $100. The credit decreases to $75, $50 and $25 as annual incomes increase to $350,000, the department reported. “If y...
SANTA FE -- A bill before the state Legislature to make it harder to remove books from public libraries based on objections to their content took a step forward Thursday evening. House Bill 123 made it out of the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee on a 4-2 party-line vote. Sponsored by five Albuquerque-area Democrats, the bill would take state funding away from public libraries that remove books "because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval or the author's race, nationality, gender identity, sexual orientation or...
On almost every issue, from crime to gun control to public education, Republican state legislators said the governor’s State of the State address sidestepped many of the realities New Mexicans live in. “Did you hear anything about border security?” Rep. Jim Townsend, R-Aztec, said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon shortly after Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s speech. “Did you hear anything about fentanyl? Not a single word.” Senate Minority Leader Greg Baca, R-Belen, said despite the optimistic tone of the governor’s...
This year’s 30-day legislative session began at noon Tuesday at the state Capitol. Here are things to know if you plan to attend before it wraps up Feb. 15. Where can I park? There is a free multistoried parking structure just behind the state Capitol. The entrance is off Galisteo Street, and it’s easy to find. Can I bring my dog or gun? No to dogs, unless they are assistance dogs. No to guns or any other kind of weapon; lawmakers voted to prohibit people from bringing them in (except for law enforcement personnel) sev...
The surname Domenici likely will again appear on a New Mexico ballot later this year. Nella Louise Domenici, the daughter of former U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, has declared herself a candidate for the Senate seat held by Democrat Martin Heinrich. Nella Domenici filed a statement of candidacy Tuesday with the Federal Election Commission declaring she’ll run as a Republican, the party her father championed for several decades in New Mexico. Her entrance into the race less than five months before the June 4 primary adds to a GOP r...
Days remaining in session: 28 Eyebrow-raising introductions: It's customary for lawmakers to introduce their loved ones to the public on opening day of the Legislature. Sen. Cliff Pirtle, R-Roswell, raised eyebrows Tuesday when he introduced his. Pirtle, who is in the midst of a divorce from the mother of his three young children, showed up with a new baby and a former legislative staffer he introduced as his partner. In the final days of last year's legislative session, Pirtle was thrust into an embarrassing scandal when...
SANTA FE -- Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham laid out an ambitious agenda for this year's 30-day legislative session that includes a slew of new gun control laws and more money for health care, education, infrastructure and housing. Much of the governor's hourlong State of the State address Tuesday was focused on ideas she unveiled earlier this month, either in her budget proposal or in a package of public safety-related bills. The governor went off script several times, though, when her speech was interrupted by chants from the...
New Mexico lawmakers love to say they keep busy during legislative sessions “doing the people’s work.” The New Mexican asked 33 people, one from each county, what they want to see the Legislature prioritize during the 30-day session that began Tuesday. Here are some of the responses: Pat Lyons, Curry County Former state senator (1993-2002) and Public Regulation Commission member Pat Lyons is running 500 head of cattle on a farm and ranch outside Clovis and is enjoying the “retired but still working” life. Watching the state...
